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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. degree — an amount
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. spell — letters
  5. spring — the season
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. spring — a coil
  8. spell — magic
  9. club — for dancing
  10. plane — a tool
  11. degree — from a university
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. degree — temperature
  14. spring — of water
  15. kid — to tease
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. club — a group
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. club — for golf
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. spell — a short time
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. kid — child

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com